4 winners (and 6 losers) from Buccaneers' disappointing loss to the Packers in Week 4

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost yet another winnable game on Sunday, falling to 0-4 with a 17-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

There was no shortage of lackluster individual performances, but several Buccaneers players did all they could to help bring this team their first victory,

Who were the most impressive and most disappointing Buccaneers in Week 4?

Winners & Losers after Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 17-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers

Winner: DT A’Shawn Robinson

A’Shawn Robinson has emerged as a key leader for the Bucs defense. The veteran rallied his teammates at midfield with a fiery pregame speech.

He came through with a forced fumble inside the five-yard line to keep the Buccaneers alive late in the fourth quarter, just a week after catching an interception. His splash plays and leadership haven’t resulted in wins, but Robinson was a great free agency signing for this team. 

Loser: HC Todd Bowles

Todd Bowles’ biggest sin today was opting to go for it on 4th-and-11 to end the game rather than giving Chase McLaughlin a chance to tie the game from 65 yards out.

McLaughlin nailed a 65-yarder just last season, and is the NFL’s most accurate kicker from 50-plus yards, so the decision not to give him a chance is puzzling.

On top of that, Bowles’ pass rush generated zero sacks against a makeshift Packers offensive line that had allowed eight sacks through the first three weeks.

He also opted not to call a timeout as Green Bay ran out the clock, essentially waving the white flag and sending the wrong message to his team. 

His time as head coach of the Buccaneers is ticking and while the Glazers have never fired a head coach in-season, it feels like a foregone conclusion that he’ll be replaced at the end of the season. 

Loser: OC Zac Robinson

Bowles isn’t the only Buccaneers coach on thin ice. Robinson looks like a disaster of a hire through four weeks.

I defended Robinson at first, blaming players for turnovers, drive-killing penalties and poor execution, but as the offense continues to struggle, the play-caller must be held accountable.

Tampa Bay has scored just 19 points per game so far, down from 22 last year under Josh Grizzard.

Emeka Egbuka has been a ghost in the offense. The pass protection has no answers against the blitz. Nothing is coming easy for this unit and they seem to be fighting and clawing for every single yard. There’s simply too much talent for these woes to continue. 

Winner: CB Jacob Parrish

Jacob Parrish had five total tackles, and also came through with a red zone interception in the fourth quarter.

The young cornerback is the Buccaneers' best pass defender and a rising star for Tampa Bay’s defense.

Loser: TE Cade Otton

Cade Otton led the Buccaneers with 37 receiving yards on four catches, but it’s the play he didn’t make that lands him in the loser’s column.

Otton dropped a perfect pass from rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels that would’ve gone for a big gain, and despite putting on gloves, he seems to have a critical drop every week.

Winner: ILB Josiah Trotter

Trotter has played in three games this season, and has led the Buccaneers in tackles in all three contests. 

The rookie linebacker had nine total tackles, and it’s fair to say he’s been the team’s best defensive player this season. The best part? The 21-year-old is still raw and hasn't even scratched the surface of how great he can be.

Loser: C Graham Barton

Graham Barton allowed a Packers defender to blitz through the interior of the offensive line untouched, forcing a throwaway and a wasted play on a potential game-winning fourth-quarter drive. 

He also had a botched snap that would’ve resulted in a safety if not for a heroic effort by Jalon Daniels. Barton needs to be much better, or the Bucs will have no choice but to explore moving him to guard in the offseason.

Winner: RB Sean Tucker

Tucker finally got some action on Sunday, and while he only got three carries, he took advantage with a fourth-down conversion and a rushing touchdown.

He’s forcing the offensive coaching staff to consider giving him a bigger workload, especially in short-yardage situations and near the goal-line.

Loser: Bucs’ Run Defense

Run defense is usually the Buccaneers’ bread and butter, but they were dreadful against the Packers and allowed Green Bay to rush for a season-high 86 yards.

Most of the yardage came on just two plays, a 31-yard run and a 27-yard run, but the result is still unacceptable. Tampa Bay caught a break and didn’t have to face Josh Jacobs and still allowed multiple explosive runs.

Last week, the Packers rushed for just 17 yards against the Atlanta Falcons, so the Buccaneers’ best unit getting shown up is a disappointing development.

Loser: P Riley Dixon

Riley Dixon had four punts, and averaged 40 yards per punt. To put in perspective just how bad that number is, the lowest punting average in the NFL this season is Dolphins punter Bradley Pinion with a 42.6 average.

Dixon was already ranked dead-last in net punting average this season, and Sunday's stinker didn’t help. The Bucs will need to find a new punter next season, if not sooner.

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